Handover Ceremony

..Local Solar PV companies come together under the Auspices of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association to support capacity Building of Public Technical Training Institutions to offer Solar PV training

The Kenya Renewable Energy Association convened a handover ceremony on 21st June 2013 at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Nairobi to acknowledge the contributions made by local solar PV companies, in support of capacity building of public technical training institutions in the country to offer solar PV training.

Participants at the event included the solar PV companies which donated equipment: Powertechnics, Ubbink, Powerpoint and Center for Alternative Technologies, as well as representatives from the Energy Regulatory Commission, National Industrial Training Authority and Technical Training Institutions.

The activity is aimed at supporting solar PV technicians and businesses to comply with the Energy (Solar Photovoltaic Systems), 2012 Regulations, which were gazetted by the Energy Regulatory Commission last September.

The regulations require vendors, manufacturers, importers and contractors to be licensed by the Energy Regulatory Commission; and have in their employment licensed solar PV technicians. In order to be licensed to carry out design and installation of solar PV systems, technicians are required to undertake solar PV training in a recognized institution, and tae a trade test at the National Industrial Training Authority.

The event is one of a series of ongoing activities spearheaded by the association, to facilitate development and institutionalization of a solar PV curriculum for the Kenyan market. The association completed the development of the solar PV curriculum, training course and materials for basic and intermediate level technicians, and conducted training of 20 trainers from 10 public technical training institutions last year.

However, lack of equipment in technical training institutions was found to be one of the major challenges in offering training and the companies stepped in to donate some equipment. The association has identified 10 public institutions in the country to be equipped in the initial phase and aims to scale up to at least 20 institutions.

It is envisioned that the first pilot institutions which will receive the donated equipment, will begin rolling out short courses in solar PV later this year.

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